The Importance of Branding on the Marketing of Made in Ghana Shoes
Chapter One
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The main objective of this study is mainly to find out the Importance of branding on the marketing of made in Ghana Shoes, specifically the study intends to:
- Identify method of marketing branded products in an organization
- Find out different styles of branding used by organization
- Find out the impact of branding on the increase in sales volume of made in ghana shoes.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
Our focus in this chapter is to critically examine relevant literatures that would assist in explaining the research problem and furthermore recognize the efforts of scholars who had previously contributed immensely to similar research. The chapter intends to deepen the understanding of the study and close the perceived gaps.
Precisely, the chapter will be considered in three sub-headings:
- Conceptual Framework and
- Theoretical Framework
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Concept of Branding
The relative significance of product branding as a means of enhancing a product‟s sales performance varies with the product and company. It functions to bridge the gap between the manufacturer‟s promotional program and consumption of sales to final buyers. Most manufacturers are unaware of the significant importance of product branding. However, the idea of improving the company‟s corporate images as well as its brand has been growing.
Kotler (1997) defines a brand as a name, a team, a symbol or a design or a combination of these to identify goods and services of one seller and to distinguish them from those of competitors. It is however observed that the definition is a brand term that includes the use of brand names, trademarks and particularly all other means of identification.
Brand identification has the highest potential payoff where it is possible to differentiate the product effectively in terms of features that consumers consider important. But it also has payoff potentials where present products have the features that shoppers look for – brand identification reduces the searching time that shoppers have to spend in finding products with the desired features Kotler(1997).
For example, the word “Volkswagen” can be used to illustrate this distinction. The Santana and Audi cars are branded under the name “Volkswagen” whether it is used orally or printed in any manner. When Volkswagen is printed in a certain kind of script, however, it is because of trademark. A trademark needs not to be attached to a product. It may not even be a word because a symbol can be used e.g. the familiar script of Coca- Cola is an example of brand name and trademark.
Kotler (1997) defined a brand as a name, term, sign, symbol or design or a combination of these which is intended to differentiate them from those of other competitors. Thus, a brand identifies the maker or seller of product. Stanton (1964) defined a brand as a comprehensive term, which includes “ a name, term, symbol, or design, or a combination of them which is intended to identify the goods or services of one seller and to differentiate them from those of competitors. Schoell and Gultinan (1990) describe a brand as a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that identifies one seller‟s goods or services as distinct from those of other seller. This in reality means that the brand name is that part of a brand that can be spoken – letters, numbers or words. Mc Donald‟s is a brand name. They further contend that the brand mark or logo is that part of a brand that cannot be spoken and is most commonly a symbol, picture, design, distinctive lettering, colour or a combination of these. It is recognizable by sight but is not pronounceable.
McCarthy (1981) maintained that the distinction may seem technical, but they are very important to business firms that spend much money to protect their brands. He further maintained the idea behind choosing and protecting a brand name. Developing multiple manufacturer brands and distribution systems has been an effective means of combating the increased competition. In his argument, he stated that brand-name selection is still an art and that management‟s judgement may still have to come in because of its importance. He contended that it is difficult to pinpoint what constitutes a brand name because some of the successful good brand names seem to defy even the brims news, and that many of these names came to being when there was relatively little market competition. However, he agreed that a good brand name could make the difference by helping to commit something of importance about a company or its product. He went further to suggest that a brand name should have the following qualities: Short, simple and easy to spell and read e.g. Bic, Van, vano.
Branding is a general term for describing the establishment of brand names. A brand can be defined as a name, term, or symbol or a combination of them which is intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors.
Kotler (2001), similarly defined branding as a name, word, mark, term, symbol, letter, device or some combination thereof that is used by manufacturers or merchants to identify their goods and services and to distinguish them from those of competitors.
From the above definitions, branding can be seen as the means through which a firm identifies itself to its customers.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
According to Udoyen (2019), a study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitute of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description.
This study was carried out to examine the The Importance of branding on the marketing of made in Ghana Shoes. Selected shoe makers and consumers form the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered. A total of two hundred and sixty-six (266) questionnaires were administered to respondents of which only two hundred and fifty-nine (259) were returned and validated. This was due to irregular, incomplete and inappropriate responses to some questionnaire. For this study a total of 259 was validated for the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary
In this study, our focus was to examine the importance of branding on the marketing of made in Ghana Shoes. The study specifically aimed at identifying method of marketing branded products in an organization, finding out different styles of branding used by organization and, find out the impact of branding on the increase in sales volume of made in ghana shoes. This study was anchored on the Innovation Diffusion Theory and Labour process Theory.
The study adopted the survey research design and conveniently enrolled participants in the study. A total of 259 responses were validated from the enrolled participants, who where all consumers and shoe makers in Ghana.
Conclusion
This study has systematically inquired and analyzed on methods that can be used to markets branded products in an organization. Based on the findings of this study, the following conclusions were made:
- Highlight advantages in a classy way.
- Offer special promos.
- Offer loyal customers an exclusive preview
- Offer a complimentary upgrade
- Advertise the product to reach a wider audience.
The study also analyzed on the different styles of branding used by organization. The following conclusions were made.
- Product branding
- Online branding.
- Offline branding
- Geographical branding and
- Service branding
Recommendations
In the light of the findings and conclusions, the following recommendations are hereby proposed:
Branding of products should be imbibed by organizations as it
- Helps convey your ideas and views to the world
- Facilitates purchasing of products
- Helps in customer franchising and
- Helps in market segmentation
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